For the Pottstown runners it was a win anyway. They were finally on their own ground again for the first time in more than two years.

“When we were running by our field hockey team, they were just yelling and screaming for us,” said the Trojans’ main man Nate Smith, looking happy as can be. ”Then the soccer team was also cheering us on. Both teams were going crazy, shouting my name, my teammates’ names. I’ve never felt that much recognition in cross country from any other Pottstown sports. Kudos to both of them.”

Smith has been the Trojans’ top runner for the past three years and led them again, crossing seventh with a time of 17:38.

“This is my team,” Smith said. “Especially Trent Kenciania and Jeff Vontor. They’re new to the team, weren’t great friends of mine before that, but now they are like my best friends ever. They are pushing me. But so is the whole team. I consider everybody on the team family. They show up for practice and keep a smile all the time.”

For Smith it was his goodbye race at Pottstown. He would like to run in college, but doesn’t know if it will work out since he plans to major in engineering and there may be a time problem.

“I love to run, but if it interferes with my major, I don’t know,” he said.

It was Smith, then a sophomore, who held the team together two years ago when it was on the verge of going down the drain after the district voted to stop financing cross country prior to the 2011 school year,

Instead of hanging up his sneakers, Smith rallied the troops, recruited new runners, and sent out endless Facebook messages to bring them out.

“At one point my dad wanted me to switch to The Hill School, or maybe even move to Pottsgrove,” he said. “That would have been the biggest regret of my high school career, to have left Pottstown. I love everybody on my team.”

“It’s absolutely been worth it,” Hill said. “We took the kids to Poconos for a camp and they really bonded as a family. It’s just a group that enjoys running. And I enjoy running, so it’s kind of nice not to run alone after school.

“We treat them like any other Pottstown varsity sport, make sure they have the equipment that they need. Sometimes it’s hard, but we do fundraisers. And everybody has been great about helping out. We just don’t get paid. Mark and I put a lot of our money for entry fees, and obviously time, into it. But the kids make it worth it. I try and instill in them a love for running.”

“Definitely been worth it,” Agnew said. “Just to see the kids improve is so satisfying. We’ve had a great season. We started out with a camp, had 20 kids come out for it, and had a great time. It’s been very rewarding. We’re looking forward to keeping the program going. The goal is to double the team again next year.”

Pottstown sophomore Kiara Horsey has been the Pottstown girls’ front runner all season, and again on this day, crossing 16th (22:29) in a tough field.

“It’s fun and our cross country is like a big family,” Horsey said. “We’re always having fun together. Our coaches are amazing. They do this all on their own time, they don’t get paid for it. They are the best coaches ever. So why wouldn’t you want to do cross country? I don’t run track, I only run cross country. Because track is monotonous. You have to run around the track over and over again. In cross country you get to see different surroundings.

“Being the top runner for the Pottstown girls team makes it more exciting. It gives you more responsibility each time. Like, I most come in first out of all the Pottstown girls.”

And she plans to stick with it for the next two years.

As for the race and the top finishers, it was yet another exceptional run by Steinke, and also an outstanding one by Watro, both favorites to win the PAC-10 championship next week at Heebner Park.

“I knew this is a fast course,” Steinke said. “And I forced myself not to look back today. Sometimes I look back just to know where I am. I felt great today, but my time did surprise me. I didn’t think I’d run a 17. So that gives me a lot of confidence that I have a second gear (for PAC-10, districts and states).”

How about three years of undefeated dual meets?

“It’s really exciting,” she said. “I’m just going to keep looking forward, keep looking for future accomplishments. There could be any season, any year a girl who comes up in the PAC-10. And I have to keep my guard up, keep pushing real hard and not let down at all.”

For Watro, closing out the regular PAC-10 season undefeated confirmed that again that he made the right move switching from starting soccer goalie to top cross country runner for the Warriors.

“I didn’t expect to go undefeated, not at all,” Watro said. “I expected to be third on the team, second at the best. A couple of guys got injured, I moved up. Coach has us doing some good workouts that definitely got us in shape.

“We thought Owen J. would give us some real trouble today. We did a quick walk-through of the course. And once we got to the second hill, with me and Matt (Schulz) out front, I thought we were doing pretty good.

Moving over from soccer “was a good choice overall,” Watro said. “Now getting pretty psyched for the championships next week. A little nervous, but hopefully we can get the team victory and I can win that too.”

The Methacton boys, now at 8-1, look forward to challenging undefeated Pottsgrove for the PAC-10 title.

The Owen J. Roberts girls are in a three-way tie at the top with Boyertown and Perk Valley, all at 8-1.

“I’ve been hoping to run a good race and the girls stepped up in the last half of the race and did a good job,” veteran OJR coach Dave Michael said. “It will make for an interesting championship next week. It should be a very good and interesting race.”

About the Author

Rosemarie Ross is a veteran sports reporter for The Mercury. A native of Germany, she began her career with the former United Press International pioneering the role of women in sports reporting. She was worked in Trenton, Phladelphia and Patterson, N.J. and has covered pro sports and boxing. She is a member of the National Hall of Fame for her boxing coverage. She covers high school sports -- and loves it. Reach the author at rross@pottsmerc.com
or follow Rosemarie on Twitter: @RoseRoss31.